


projecting trait and trace through time to times anon

by jenstraflintlocked



Series: Kids Today...and Tomorrow. And Yesterday. [2]
Category: Doctor Who
Genre: Accidental Timetravel, F/F, Kid Fic, kids from the future
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-08
Updated: 2020-04-08
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:35:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,439
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23546245
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jenstraflintlocked/pseuds/jenstraflintlocked
Summary: Vastra comes home with some unexpected guests
Relationships: Jenny Flint/Madame Vastra
Series: Kids Today...and Tomorrow. And Yesterday. [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1726585
Comments: 5
Kudos: 42





	projecting trait and trace through time to times anon

Vastra had not walked the streets of London alone at night in some time. Tonight, she was meandering through the alleys, hoping for a distraction in the form of some criminal activity or other. Their last case had been closed over a week ago. She blamed her row with Jenny this morning on the sudden increase of morals in the citizens of London, and the lack of alien incursions on Britain as a whole. And a wander about the city seemed the best course of action. It would allow Jenny to cool down somewhat, at least to the point where she’d let Vastra back in the house, if not in their bed. She hoped for a discussion at least.

Despite her wish for a random encounter with some sort of disaster, she wasn’t paying attention, which was why the small urchin running into her took her by surprise. She recovered quickly and saw that the urchin was dressed somewhat similar to herself. No part of it seemed visible, not even its eyes. But it was tiny, for an urchin. Too tiny to be out on the streets. Although she knew enough from the Irregulars and Jenny, often times they were anyway.

“Tilreka!” a voice cried, and a tall, skinny young man came rushing down the alley. He stopped short when he saw Vastra. “Tilly! Come here. You must come here at once.” He commanded, glaring suspiciously at Vastra.

The bundle of rags turned but did not obey. It ran behind Vastra, appeared to look around, with little jerks of its head, as if it were sniffing at the air. Then, with a small wriggling jump, it threw back the rags from its head with aplomb, revealing a head not unlike Vastra’s own, if very much smaller.

“ _TILREKA!!_ ” the young man growled, stomping nearer, a knife suddenly in his hand. “Do as I say.”

Vastra felt a rush of bile at this ape commanding a Silurian, threatening one with a knife and drew her own sword. Whatever hold this _boy_ had over the hatchling would soon be severed.

“Boy, if I were you, I would not speak in such a manner to this hatchling.”

He stuck his chin out in defiance, but he held up his hands in surrender, his eyes narrowing at the sight of her sword. 

It was time to terrify this ape, in the manner which had never failed, (save on one, Vastra thought fondly). She swept back her own hood. This caused the young man’s eyes to widen further than she thought it humanly possible, although to his credit, he didn’t run away. The hatchling was also staring at her, curious and mildly apprehensive.

“Mother?” she asked, tilting her head to one side.

Vastra considered the hatchling and sheathed her sword. Clearly this little thing was lost and confused. “No. I am not your “mother”.”

The young man snorted, as if he found something amusing and she wheeled back round to face him.

“What is your name boy?” she snarled.

He hesitated and then drew himself up proudly to all of his height. “My name is Jaspar.” He looked her straight in the eye, as if trying to convey something.

“And what is your business with this child?” Vastra looked at Tilreka, where she stood at Vastra’s side, glancing between the two of them, as if watching some kind of game. She seemed quite composed at the scene until Vastra’s last word.

“Thpppbbtt!” she blew a raspberry at Vastra with a very un-silurian looking small pink tongue. “Ain’t a child neither.”

Vastra stared at her, her breath stopping as she recognised both the action and the accent. Dark brown eyes glowered up at her. The same eyes had glowered at her just this morning, making it impossible not to recognise them. Her head jerked round to look back at the boy, whose eyes, she realised in one heart stopping moment, were the same hue as her own. Currently those eyes were looking despairingly at the hatchling.

“Til-lyyy!!” he groaned. “What did Mamma say about poking tongues out?”

The hatchling stamped her foot and shrugged, staring down at the cobbles. “Said I shouldn’t do it.” she muttered.

“And what did Mother say about using ain’t?” he crossed his arms, causing her shoulders to slump.

“Said only Mamma could say ain’t.” There was a sniff.

“So?”

“So…..” the hatchling heaved a big sigh. “So thpbbbbttt!”

The young man let out a growl of frustration and buried his head in his hand, a sound so similar to the one Vastra had heard this morning.

Her breathing must have restarted, for she managed to say, “You are her brother.”

He jerked his head up as if he’d forgotten about her. “Yes.” He spat, as if it should be obvious.

Vastra suddenly had a vision of what precisely might have happened.

“I think,” she said, rather faintly. “that you had better come with me.”

With a look of resigned obedience, he nodded, picking up his dropped blade and sheathing it before kneeling and holding out his arms. Tilreka ran straight into them and he gathered her up, pulling the rags back over her head.

She grumbled unintelligibly as he walked along beside Vastra in the thankfully lowering gloom of dusk. He swung her up onto his shoulders, making her laugh. She pulled at his hair as she sat there, leaning backwards, threatening to fall off. He only smiled at her antics, holding her legs and squeezing them in reassurance that he would not let go, even when as she dangled herself down his back. Despite herself, Vastra smiled at the care the young man showed for his sibling, despite their very different outward appearances.

She opened the front door to 13 Paternoster Row with some trepidation, calling Jenny’s name as she placed her sword on the stand and gestured for Jaspar to lay his knife alongside it. Tilreka wriggled down and shucked off her ragged cloak, going to hang it on a low part of the wall and looking confused, as if she were expecting a peg to be there.

Her wife stalked out of the living room, still looking thunderous. She folded her arms as she glared at Vastra. “You’ve finally decided to come back then. And who’s thi…” Jenny’s voice trailed off to nothing and her arms fell to her sides as she spotted the obviously Silurian features of Tilreka and the young man behind her.

He looked rather nervous now, Vastra noticed. He was fidgeting with his coat, twisting the tails of it in his hands. The sight of yet another so familiar a gesture wrenched at her heart.

“Mamma!” Tilreka ran to Jaspar’s side and tugged at his trousers. “That’s Mamma.”

He knelt down beside her and she hit him gently in the forehead with her own. He rocked backwards slightly.

“No, Tilly. That…isn’t Mamma.” Jaspar’s face screwed up. He looked as if he were about to cry. Vastra dared to steal a glance at her wife, who looked from the two children to Vastra in a daze. She swayed slightly and Vastra only just caught her before she hit the floor. She sat there, cradling Jenny in her lap, looked over to see Jaspar holding Tilreka. He had a pained expression on his face, half apologetic and half terrified. It was a look that said he expected to be in a great deal of trouble with someone. Vastra pursed her lips and with superlative ease, swung Jenny into her arms and carried her into the living room. Jaspar followed, carrying Tilreka on his hip.

“So.” Vastra made Jenny comfortable on the sofa. “How did you end up in this time?” she asked bluntly.

With a heavy sigh, Jaspar plopped Tilreka down in front of the fire. She instantly curled up and went to sleep. He stared at her for a moment, before facing Vastra and pulling up his sleeve. Attached to his wrist was a vortex manipulator.

“The Doctor gave it me.” He explained nervously. “Said I was to use it if we got into too much trouble. But I must’ve got the co-ordinates wrong.” He was crying now. “And I don’t know how to charge it back up to get us back home properly. And now we’re trapped. And I don’t know what to do.”

Vastra moved over and sat in her armchair near the fire, taking a moment to consider him properly in good light. He was younger than she’d originally thought, she realised. For all his height, he was clearly still a boy. His sky-blue eyes, like hers, were clouded with tears and red-rimmed now from crying. His nose was snub like hers but without the scales and on top of his slightly ridged head there was a mass of dark wavy hair. He was wearing loose black trousers tucked into heavy boots. With one last sniff and wipe of his eyes, he crouched by his sister and took off his long jacket to cover her with it. His collarless shirt was short-sleeved and had no buttons. Vastra recalled seeing Rose wear something similar. Down his neck and along the outer side of his arms, ran bright green scales. A tongue flickered out involuntarily and she realised the boy was more Silurian than she had given credit.

“How old are you…Jaspar?”

“13.” He replied, standing back up. She was surprised. He sounded a great deal older than a 13-year-old human. But if he were part-Silurian…

“And Tilreka?”

“A hatchling. 3 years out of her egg.”

3 years out of the egg… Vastra shook her head. The child was only the size of a toddler by ape standards and acted as such. 3 years out of the egg! A pure Silurian would be far more advanced. But if she were part-human…

She frowned. A ten-year age gap between them?

“There were complications. With my birth.” Jaspar explained, guessing the reason for her frown.

“Your birth?”

“Mamma gave birth to me.” He slumped down onto the floor, hugging his long legs to him. He gave up any attempt at pretence and nodded towards Jenny. “But it hurt her.” He looked at the floor, as if it had done something to personally affront him. “She couldn’t have any more.”

“And yet?” Vastra raised an eye ridge.

“I wanted a sibling. So I researched. I found a new way to do it. A new combination. I developed it in the lab. Strax helped me. And then there was an egg. And a little while later…”

“Tilreka…” Vastra breathed.

He smiled fondly at the small lump underneath his coat. “She was so small. We weren’t sure she’d survive. You were so angry when you found out. You were scared about what Mamma would say.”

“Vastraaa…” a groan from Jenny wrenched Vastra away from the story.

“Yes, my love?” She crossed over to the sofa, kneeling in front of it.

“What…” A hand gestured limply at the two figures by the fire.

“Time travel. And genetic splicing at a guess.” Vastra shrugged. It was the only explanation that made sense.

“Oh…my…gawd…” Jenny drawled weakly.

“Come. Meet our son.” Vastra pulled her upright.

Jaspar stood up to his full height. A correct posture Vastra noticed. She smirked. Clearly, she had trained the boy herself.

“Hello.” He coughed, becoming almost rigid in his stance under Jenny’s wondering gaze.

“His name is Jaspar.” Vastra introduced him, seeing as he seemed incapable of further speech.

Jenny’s lip trembled and Vastra wondered whether she was about to faint again, but she stepped forward, reaching out to touch him, but not quite. Her hand traced over his hair, his snub nose, his scales. And then she stared into his eyes. He smiled hesitantly as a warmth born from recognition lit up her eyes. And it was the mirror of her own smile, she realised.

“So. You travel with the Doctor then?” she asked, sitting back down on the sofa with a thump.

He nodded. “I had travelled with her before, since the time I was 9. But this was Tilreka’s first trip. She’d been asking ever since she could talk. It was meant to be fun.” The smile slipped from his lips. “But things…started to go wrong. I got separated from the Doctor, and the TARDIS. I used the Vortex Manipulator, as she told me to. But I must’ve got the co-ordinates wrong.” There were no tears in front of Jenny, Vastra noted. No sign of weakness. It puzzled her. Surely Jenny was the more maternal of the two of them.

“Mm. Space-time co-ordinates can be tricky things.” Vastra reassured him, in case he needed reassurance.

Jenny looked over at the little heap by the fire. “Tilreka?”

At the sound of her name, the heap stirred and burrowed out from underneath the coat. Dark eyes looked into dark eyes. With a grin that was pure Vastra, Tilreka unfolded and scampered across to Jenny on all fours, hauled herself up onto the sofa before curling up in Jenny’s lap and flopping back asleep. Vastra laughed at the expression on Jenny’s face. The sudden fear on Jaspar’s face intrigued her though.

Jenny stared at the little shrimp in her lap. She looked up at Vastra. “She’s definitely your daughter.” She said flatly.

“She does that a lot.” Jaspar said apologetically.

“Our daughter.” Vastra corrected. “And our son.” She smiled at Jaspar. He grinned back at her, which Vastra found interesting. He seemed more open with her, less guarded. Perhaps, despite Jenny giving birth to him, and his more human appearance, she had been more his mother. The thought astounded her. She placed a hand on his arm and found him warm blooded.

“She’s coldblooded.” He nodded towards Tilreka.

“Like a Silurian.”

“She looks Silurian.”

“But?”

“It’s not as simple as that.”

“I suspect not.”

“I am 13 years old but a Silurian at that age…”

“Would already be fully developed.” Vastra finished for him.

“It was frustrating, as a child. To have so much mental capability but so little, physically.” He laughed. “You had to carry me round in a sling on your back, as you worked cases. It was the only way to keep me quiet.”

“I carried you?”

His face fell again. “Mamma…”

“Was hurt.” Vastra finished for him. She felt slightly sick at the thought. How long had it taken Jenny to recover? And in what ways had Jenny been hurt? For clearly it had affected her relationship with Jaspar. And with a Silurian intellect, the boy would’ve picked up on it easily.

Jaspar continued. “Whereas Tilly looks Silurian, but she is three years in age as a human, physically and mentally. Hence her instinct to stay close to Mamma.” He smiled wistfully at the sleeping hatchling in Jenny’s lap, who was currently biting Jenny’s skirt in her sleep. Vastra’s heart fell further and she had to quash the instinct to comfort the boy.

“You must be clever. To have found a new way to gene splice, to create a Silurian egg.”

“I am. I have already obtained two degrees.” He said proudly. “And I am studying for a third.”

Jenny’s mouth fell open and even Vastra felt suitably impressed.

“Thas amazin’.” Jenny said, awed.

“They are only ape qualifications, I know.” He grinned once more at Vastra, as if it were some kind of inside joke between them.

“And what about this little one?” Jenny poked Tilreka in the stomach. She stretched herself awake immediately, stood up and headbutted Jenny. 

“Ow!” Jenny jerked backwards and Tilreka almost fell off her lap. Vastra plucked her up at the last minute, holding her up by the scruff of her neck.

“We don’t headbutt people!” she said sternly. But Tilreka seemed unimpressed and merely twisted in Vastra’s grasp, trying to bite her hand. “Definitely your daughter also.” She remarked to Jenny, depositing the hatchling back into Jenny’s lap. Tilreka immediately threw herself wailing against Jenny’s shoulders.

“’ere. Hush your noise now.” Jenny patted Tilreka awkwardly on the back and to the surprise of both the wives, Tilreka shut up immediately.

Jaspar rolled his eyes, as if he’d seen such a scene play out before. “She does anything Mamma says, right off.”

“An’ you?” Jenny asked him.

“Of course.” He said stiffly. She’d meant it playfully, but he seemed on his guard again.

Jenny stood up suddenly, depositing Tilreka in Vastra’s arms, ignoring the sudden wailing this caused. She flung her arms around her future son, who was already taller than she was. He glanced, panic-stricken at Vastra who was too preoccupied with containing the squirming mass of Tilreka to help him out much. With a sudden gasp, he returned the gesture, squeezing Jenny so hard she let out a faint ‘oof’.

“Mamma…” he breathed.

“Mamma!” Tilreka launched herself from Vastra’s shoulders onto Jenny’s, standing up on them and trying to hug both Jenny’s head and Jaspar with her short arms.

Vastra’s smile spread slowly across her lips as she watched the three of them. Jenny, looking confused but pleased and Jaspar and Tilreka both refusing to let go. She wished that Strax had his camera set up to take a picture of them like that, even pondered sneaking to go get it. But it would take too long, and the moment would be over.

“Aww. That’s sweet. Totally anachronistic and causin’ havoc with the timeline. But sweet.”

Vastra whirled towards the doorway where a strange blonde woman was standing, holding up a small device to her eye.

“Don’t worry! I got a snap of it.” the woman grinned cheerfully at her.

“Doctor!” Jaspar finally let go and bounded over with all the proper enthusiasm and relief of a lost 13-year-old child. “You found us!”

“Yup!” The woman shoved the device into the pocket in her long coat and gave Jaspar a hug. “I see you fell in with the right crowd then!” she laughed.

“Doctor?” Vastra raised an eye ridge.

“Yup! Definitely all out of order this time.” She swept up Tilreka who had finally detached herself from Jenny and bounded on all fours over to the Doctor to headbutt her. “You weren’t meant to have a sneak preview of these two!” she wagged a finger at them both, as if they were to blame. “Still. Better than them getting lost on a completely different planet. Or time. More lessons on Space Time Co-Ordinates needed, I think! Yaz,” she called over her shoulder to a young woman standing just behind her. “Can you take these two back to the TARDIS? Need to have a word with Jenny and Vastra.”

“Sure.” Yaz nodded. Clearly, Jaspar and Tilreka knew her as well for they followed her without hesitation, after one last hug each with the two wives.

The Doctor stuck her hands in the pockets of her short blue trousers as she wandered around the living room, perusing stuff on the mantlepiece. “Well. This is a bit awkward.”

Jenny sat back down slowly. “So. We ‘ave kids. In the future.”

Vastra joined her, twining their fingers together.

The Doctor crouched down in front of them. “I’m so sorry.” She said softly. “This is my fault. Should’ve taken better care of ‘em.”

“They look like good kids.” Jenny offered, still trying to process the situation.

“They are.” The Doctor smiled warmly. “And I’m really sorry that I have to do this.” She quickly placed a hand on each of their temples. “But hey. Just remember. You’ll get to meet them all over again. One day. Enjoy it yeah?”

_Safely back home, Jaspar watched as Tilly predictably bounded up into Jenny’s arms and headbutted her. He stood a little to the side, feeling awkward. He’d always felt closer to Vastra and indeed gave her a swift affectionate hug and smile as she came to greet him. He stared down at the picture the Doctor had slipped him, just before he’d left the TARDIS. “Use this.” She’d said, with a grin._

_“What’s that?” Jenny had shifted Tilly to her hip and was walking over to him, having spotted him staring._

_He showed it to her wordlessly, Vastra peering over Jenny’s shoulder to look as she collected the hatchling, moving away with to listen to the babble of conversation about her first adventure in the TARDIS. Jenny stared at the photo, a small frown creasing her forehead. It cleared, as if a memory had been unlocked and a smile he’d never seen before spread across her face. And she hugged him just as tightly as her younger self had, not two hours ago._

_“Mamma.” He sighed, happily._

**Author's Note:**

> this was originally (and by that I mean like five years ago) meant to be part of Spinning Jenny back when Spinning Jenny was just meant to be the first part of a four part series. It's been stuck in my folder for that long so I'm posting it as a separate fic. 
> 
> Title is from Heredity by Thomas Hardy


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